What better time to read The September House by Carissa Orlando than at the end of the September as we enter spooky season. What lies on the pages of this novel is a spooky tale with an eerie atmospheric tone.
When Margaret and her husband Hal bought the large Victorian house on Hawthorn Street—for sale at a surprisingly reasonable price—they couldn’t believe they finally had a home of their own. Then they discovered the hauntings. Every September, the walls drip blood. The ghosts of former inhabitants appear, and all of them are terrified of something that lurks in the basement. Most people would flee.
Margaret is not most people. Margaret is staying. It’s her house. But after four years Hal can’t take it anymore, and he leaves abruptly. Now, he’s not returning calls, and their daughter Katherine—who knows nothing about the hauntings—arrives, intent on looking for her missing father. To make things worse, September has just begun, and with every attempt Margaret and Katherine make at finding Hal, the hauntings grow more harrowing, because there are some secrets the house needs to keep.
While The September House is sold as a horror genre novel, the book sits on the edge of other genres including mystery and thriller as the debut novel from Carissa Orlando blends this horror tale with trying to discover the mystery of the house itself.
The pacing of The September House feels deliberate, whether that is a negative or positive I will leave up to you, each scene contributes the tension building through the novel with the layers of mystery being pulled back slowly. The horror is evident in the last quarter of the book, but is only teased throughout most of this novel. Which in my mind was not nearly enough when it comes to the horror genre.
As the story unfolds, it’s clear The September House isn’t merely a supernatural horror story—it’s also an exploration of personal trauma and resilience. The focus on family dynamics adds depth to the story while touching on themes of guild, loss and redemption. The book is both frightening and emotional with a ton of heart.
At moments Orlando’s writing is filled with repetition or predictability, but the overall execution remains engaging enough not to detract from enjoyment entirely. This is merely me nitpicking the novel, which was overall a good horror story.
The September House was a wonderful debut horror novel for Carissa Orlando and did what it was supposed to do—entertain. Even with my small critiques and gripes, the book was an easy read that had me turning each page with gusto. A great book to read this horror season.
The September House is available at bookstores everywhere. The audiobook, narrated by Kimberly Farr, is available at Libro.fm!
